Urban Meyer Placed on Paid Administrative Leave

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes shouts on the sidelines against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the All State Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

We are less than 30 days before the start of the 2018 College Football season and the controversy is already beginning. This morning, Brett McMurphy dropped a bombshell on the college football world. Urban Meyer may have known about a domestic abuse case from 2015. Late this afternoon, Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith placed Meyer on paid administrative leave pending a further investigation.

Text messages I have obtained, an exclusive interview w/the victim & other information I have learned shows Ohio State coach Urban Meyer knew in 2015 of domestic abuse allegations against a member of his coaching staff despite his denial last week https://t.co/fcxi8GKyeI

The allegations center around former Ohio State assistant football coach Zach Smith. Smith’s ex-wife states that numerous people close to the situation may have known of a 2015 allegation of domestic violence against Smith. As the rumor mill churned this morning, Meyer and the University remained quiet on the subject.

Courtney Smith, the ex-wife of Zach Smith, provided her take on the subject. “I do believe he knew and instead he chose to help the abuser and enable the abuser. No one from the university came and asked me my side of the story.”

Ohio State Acts Quicky

However, an interim decision has been made rather quickly. According to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, Ohio State has decided to put Meyer on paid administrative leave immediately. Ohio State offensive coordinator Ryan Day has been named interim head coach.

Ohio State has placed football coach Urban Meyer on paid administrative leave as it investigates the latest allegations into the Zach Smith situation. Offensive coordinator Ryan Day appointed acting head coach. Meyer statement: "[Athletic director Gene… https://t.co/IxRl9pLXnd

Future in Limbo

With fall practice set to start this week, the timing is unfortunate for Buckeye fans. First, Ohio State will be pre-season top five team later this month when the rankings are announced. The last six seasons have been overwhelmingly successful on the field. Meyer has compiled a 73-8 record overall. In addition, there are two conference championships and one national championship. Meyer has called his current gig as his “dream job.” Now, with all of the success on the field, can Meyer survive and remain the Ohio State head coach?